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Feudal System
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will bring forward proposals to abolish the feudal system in Scotland.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 19 June 1992] : The Scottish Law Commission is currently carrying out a major review of property law in Scotland. As part of this work, the commission published a discussion paper in July 1991 seeking comments on various proposals for reform or abolition of the feudal system. The commission is analysing the responses to the discussion paper and will submit a report making specific recommendations for reform. We intend to await this report before reaching any conclusions about the need for a change in the law.
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NHS Superannuation Scheme
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when the framework document of the next steps agency for the national health service superannuation scheme will be published for Scotland.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 29 June 1992] : As announced by my right hon. Friend on 6 March, the Scottish Office superannuation division, which administers the national health service superannuation scheme in Scotland, is to be launched as a next steps agency by the autumn. The framework document under which the agency will operate will be available by the launch date which will be announced as soon as possible.
Island Health Services
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the non-doctored islands in Scotland and the number of patients in each.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 2 July 1992] : I shall write to the hon. Gentleman as soon as possible.
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Community Policing
Mr. McMaster : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received in the last 12 months regarding community policing levels ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 8 July 1992] : Some 20 letters about policing levels have been received from members of the public since June 1991, together with several from Members of Parliament, including the hon. Member. The allocation of resources to particular policing priorities is a matter for the chief constable concerned.
Crime, Strathclyde
Mr. McMaster : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing the number of (a) murders, (b) attempted murders and (c) serious assaults in which (i) guns and (ii) knives were used in(1) K division of Strathclyde police, (2) Strathclyde region and (3) Scotland in each year since 1982 ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 8 July 1992] : The available information is set out in the tables.
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Cases of homicide, attempted murder, serious assault and petty assault recorded by the police involving the alleged use of a
firearm
Scotland 1982 to 1991
|1982 |1983 |1984 |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |<1>1990|1991
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(a)Homicide (murder and culpable homicide)
1. K. division, Strathclyde police |0 |0 |0 |1 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
2. Strathclyde region |0 |5 |0 |5 |3 |0 |2 |2 |2 |6
3. Scotland |3 |6 |3 |9 |5 |3 |2 |6 |3 |7
(b)Attempted murder
1. K division, Strathclyde police |0 |0 |5 |0 |0 |1 |0 |1 |5 |4
2. Strathclyde region |3 |7 |13 |11 |11 |17 |22 |9 |27 |34
3. Scotland |9 |10 |14 |18 |16 |20 |27 |12 |31 |39
(c)Serious assault
1. K division, Strathclyde police |0 |1 |7 |2 |2 |6 |2 |1 |3 |6
2. Strathclyde region |18 |39 |34 |23 |21 |57 |32 |34 |26 |44
3. Scotland |78 |75 |80 |158 |139 |147 |74 |85 |55 |65
(d)Petty assault
1. K division, Strathclyde police |21 |16 |16 |19 |27 |19 |8 |12 |13 |22
2. Strathclyde region |179 |211 |180 |225 |203 |169 |168 |109 |158 |199
3. Scotland |191 |260 |213 |250 |221 |195 |177 |116 |238 |314
<1> The definition of serious assault was amended at the start of 1990. The effect of the change was to reduce the total number of
recorded incidents of serious assault and to increase the recorded figure for petty assault correspondingly.
ƒ
Victims of homicides which involved the use of a sharp instrument
Scotland 1982 to 1991<1>
|1982 |1983 |1984 |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990 |<1>1991
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(a)Homicide (murder and culpable homicide)
2. Strathclyde region |25 |19 |29 |25 |21 |32 |26 |28 |27 |26
3. Scotland |36 |36 |46 |34 |33 |44 |38 |38 |44 |34
<1> Information on the criminal use of sharp instruments, including knives, is not collected at divisional level, or for crimes
other than homicide.
<2> Provisional.
I have nothing to add to the replies I gave on 24 June 1992 to the hon. Member for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth (Mr. Hogg) at columns 254-55 and the hon. Member for Glasgow, Maryhill (Mrs. Fyfe) at column 252.
Mr. McMaster : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the current levels of violent crime in (i) K division of Strathclyde police, (ii) Strathclyde region and (iii) Scotland ; and what action he proposes to initiate to reduce these levels.
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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 8 July 1992] : Information on the number of incidents in which knives were used is not held centrally.
The number of crimes and offences involving the alleged use of a firearm recorded by the police for each year since 1982 is given in the table.
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Number of crimes and offences recorded by the police involving the alleged use of a firearm,
1982-1991
|1982 |1983 |1984 |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990 |1991
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
K Division, Strathclyde Police |72 |47 |74 |96 |82 |76 |43 |54 |123 |159
Strathclyde Region |695 |818 |803 |917 |831 |823 |735 |718 |980 |1,250
Scotland |1,283|1,336|1,353|1,675|1,525|1,429|1,159|1,173|1,484|1,887
I have nothing further to add to the replies I gave on 24 June 1992 to the hon. Member for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth at columns 254-55 and the hon. Member for Glasgow, Maryhill at column 252.
Mr. McMaster : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing the number of incidents in which (a) knives and (b) guns were used in (i) K division of Strathclyde police, (ii) Strathclyde region and (iii) Scotland in each year since 1982 ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 8 July 1992] : Levels of violent crime are increasing in K division of Strathclyde police, in Strathclyde region, and in Scotland as a whole. I deplore this trend. The Government have increased funding for the police, who are in the front line in tackling violent crime, by 52 per cent. in real terms since 1979. The detection and prevention of violent crime are given a high priority by police forces throughout Scotland, and the Government will continue to provide the necessary resources to enable the police to maintain law and order.
Replica Guns
Mr. McMaster : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what information he has on the use of replica guns in incidents of crime or criminal intent in Scotland ; how the use of such replicas has increased or decreased in each year since 1982 ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) if he has any plans to introduce new initiatives to discourage the manufacture, sale and use of replica guns ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 8 July 1992] : Information is collected centrally on each crime and offence involving the alleged use of an imitation firearm. Details collected include local authority district, crime and offence classification, date of incident, number of accused, age and sex of principal accused, number of weapons, type of location where used, how used and, in cases where someone was injured or threatened, number of victims and age and sex of principal victim.
The number of crimes and offences involving the alleged use of an imitation firearm recorded by the police in Scotland in each of the years 1982-1991 is given in the table :
Year |Numbers ------------------------ 1982 |49 1983 |43 1984 |92 1985 |56 1986 |55 1987 |68 1988 |61 1989 |76 1990 |96 1991 |102
I have nothing further to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Strathkelvin and Bearsden (Mr. Galbraith) on 10 February 1992, at column 411.
Leukaemia
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish the numbers of leukaemias (a) observed and (b) expected in the 0 to 24 year age group in the postcode sector DG7.3--Castle Douglas--in the periods (i) 1968 to 1973 (ii) 1974 to 1978, (iii) 1979 to 1984, (iv) 1984 to 1989 and (v) 1990 to the present time, respectively ; and if he will make a statement on the comparative incidences of leukaemia in Castle Douglas relative to the rest of Scotland.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 8 July 1992] : The table shows numbers of registrations of leukaemia in the 0 to 24 age group in postcode sector DG7.3, with expected numbers based on Scottish national rates. The figures shown for the period 1990 to 1991 are provisional.
Observed and expected <1>numbers of registration of
leukaemia (ICD9
204-208) in the 0.24 age group in postcode sector
DG7.3, 1968-91.
Period of Registrations
registration
|Observed |Expected
----------------------------------------------------
1968-73 |2 |0.26
1974-78 |1 |0.21
1979-84 |1 |0.20
1985-89 |0 |0.19
1990-91 |0 |0.04
<1> Based on Scottish national rates standardised
for age.
Source: ISD Scheme SMR6.
The number of observed registrations of leukaemia in this age group in postcode sector DG7.3 falls within the range to which chance variations in the overall distribution of the disease gives rise.
Homelessness
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many 16 and 17-year-olds in each region in Scotland were registered as homeless in 1990-91 ; and how many of these were considered as in priority need and housed.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 8 July 1992] : Information on one person households aged under 18 is set out in the table. Information is not available about the number of 16 and 17-year-olds in other types of applicant households.
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----------------------------------------------------
Scotland |2,779|1,368|983 |808
Borders |7 |5 |4 |3
Central |170 |105 |76 |68
Dumfries and Galloway |30 |21 |7 |7
Fife |98 |52 |19 |19
Grampian |143 |99 |75 |69
Highland |19 |3 |1 |1
Lothian |397 |319 |280 |250
Strathclyde |1,772|683 |469 |340
Tayside |136 |77 |52 |51
Orkney |0 |0 |0 |0
Shetland |5 |2 |0 |0
Western Isles |2 |2 |0 |0
<1>The table shows the number of case returns
received for such households in 1990-91. For
Scotland as a whole, case returns have been
received for 93 per cent. of all applicant
households.
Forestry Commission
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) on what basis the target date of 1995 was identified for the Forest Enterprise part of the Forestry Commission becoming self-financing ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what plans have been drawn up for the Forest Enterprise part of the Forestry Commission becoming self-financing ; what are the implications for staffing levels ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Hector Monro [holding answer 10 July 1992] : The internal reorganisation of the Forestry Commission, which came into effect on 1 April 1992, required an allocation of staff between the Department of Forestry, including the Forestry Authority, and Forest Enterprise, which will have a separate accounting structure that will clearly identify its particular activities and performance. target date of 1995 for the enterprise to become self-financing was decided by the Forestry Commissioners as part of this reorganisation.
The Forest Enterprise is drawing up business plans for the years to 1995, and the implications for staffing levels are not yet known.
Inverclyde Enterprise Zone
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total of public investment in the Inverclyde enterprise zone ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 14 July 1992] : The total of public sector investment in the Inverclyde enterprise zone to date is approximately £13 million, excluding the cost of land purchases which amounted to £2.9 million.
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will estimate the total of private investment to date in the Inverclyde enterprise zone ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 14 July 1992] : The value of the investment made by the 25 or so companies which have established in the Inverclyde enterprise zone is a matter for each individual company. However, about 425,000 sq ft of industrial/business space has been developed in the zone thus far by the private sector, with
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a further 120,000 sq ft expected to commence shortly. It is estimated that these basic development costs could exceed £50 million.Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give (a) the date of designation of the Inverclyde enterprise zone and (b) its expiry date.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 14 July 1992] : Inverclyde enterprise zone was designated on 3 March 1989 and will expire on 2 March 1999.
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will indicate (a) the physical area of the Inverclyde enterprise zone, (b) the proportion of the total area which is unused at the present moment and (c) the proportion which is under construction today.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 14 July 1992] : The Inverclyde enterprise zone comprises some 274 acres. Some 66 per cent. of the zone is unused at present ; that is, there has been little or no development work since designation. The remaining 34 per cent. is currently under construction/recovery or developed.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff his Department currently employs ; what are the total personnel costs ; and what were the staffing levels and personnel costs in 1970.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 14 July 1992] : The number of staff employed by the Scottish Office and associated departments, excluding the Scottish prison service, at 1 April 1992 was 6,558. Personnel management costs for the year 1991-92 were £2,353,617. At 1 April 1992 the Scottish prison service employed 4,228 staff ; personnel management costs for 1991-92 were about £813,000.
On 1 January 1970 the composite total for the number of staff employed by the Scottish Office and associated departments including the Scottish prison service was 9,515. This total cannot be broken into its constituent parts ; nor are personnel management costs for that year available.
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Departmental Advisers
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list any advisers retained by his Department since 1987 who have been criticised in published reports by Department of Trade and Industry inspectors.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 14 July 1992] : The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, my Department takes all relevant factors into account when considering such appointments.
Framework for Action
Mr. Welsh : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many copies of the framework for action survey questionnaire were sent out by his Department ; and how many staff were involved in this project.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 14 July 1992] : The administration of this survey was handled by the information and statistics division--ISD--of the Common Services Agency, not by the Scottish Office. The ISD issued 37,705 copies of the questionnaire. Eight members of staff were involved in working on the survey at various times.
Mental Handicap Project, Glasgow
Mrs. Fife : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has accepted Greater Glasgow health board's bid for bridging finance for the Scottish Society for the Mentally Handicapped project at Bilsland drive, Maryhill.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 14 July 1992] : The project at Bilsland drive, Maryhill is a jointly funded scheme which has not required bridging finance in order to proceed.
Disabled Employees
Mrs. Roche : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer to the hon. and learned Member for Leicester, West (Mr. Janner) on 1 July, Official Report, column 627, (a) how many of his Department's employees and (b) what proportion of his Department's employees were registered disabled in 1989 and 1990.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 14 July 1992] : In 1989, 85 registered disabled persons were employed by my Department--1.4 per cent. of the total work force ; the corresponding figures for 1990 were 73 and 1.2 per cent. In each of these years my Department employed, in addition, an unrecorded number of disabled persons who had chosen not to register.
Framework for Action
Mr. Welsh : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give figures showing the expenditure by his Department on (a) the preparation and (b) the delivery of the framework for action survey questionnaire ; and the level of response to it.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 14 July 1992] : Final figures for expenditure on the survey are not yet available. The level of response to the survey is not yet available, but will be included in the final report, due to be published at the beginning of August.
Column 720
Mr. Welsh : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to complete work on and publish the results of the framework for action survey questionnaire.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 14 July 1992] : Preliminary results from the framework for action survey were released on 2 June 1992. The final report is currently being prepared, and will be published at the beginning of August. The report will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
Mr. Welsh : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many original copies and how many reminders and duplicate copies of the framework for action survey questionnaire were sent out by his Department ; and what were the costs involved in each case.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 14 July 1992] : The information and statistics division of the Common Services Agency sent out 37,705 questionnaires. In addition, all recipients of the questionnaires were sent reminder cards.
Samples for this survey were selected from three sources : from health board payrolls ; all general medical and dental practices ; and honorary consultants and associate specialists.
Duplicate questionnaires would only be received by members of staff in the unlikely event of their falling into more than one category and being selected in the separate samples, or where they are on the payroll of more than one health board and are selected under their separate payroll reference numbers.
The final costs of carrying out the work on this survey are not yet available.
Coal (Northern Ireland)
Mr. Michael J. Martin : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much coal was transported to Northern Ireland from Ayr harbour in 1992- 93.
Mr. Norris : I have been asked to reply.
About 800,000 tonnes were transported in 1991, the latest year for which figures are available.
EDUCATION
Local Management of Schools
Ms. Janet Anderson : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will review the local management of schools formula to take into account actual salary costs in schools with more than 10 teachers ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : We have said that we will review the policy on funding teachers' salaries within LMS schemes. However, it remains our view that governors should be responsible and accountable for the financial implications of their decisions. That is a fundamental principle of good management in both the public and the private sectors. Many local education authorities have taken sensible steps during the transitional period to ease schools' passage into the new arrangements. It would be an error for other authorities to assume that inactivity on their part will lead to a change of policy.
Column 721
Nursery Education
Sir David Steel : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans Her Majesty's Government have to make the provision of nursery education a statutory duty upon local authorities ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : The Government have no such plans.
School Meals
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish a table showing (a) expenditure and (b) the average price of school meals in each year since 1976 in cash and constant prices.
Mr. Forth : The latest year for which information on actual expenditure on school meals is available is 1989-90. The available information is as follows :
Net expenditure on school meals and milk<1>
|Cash |<2>Real terms
|£ million |£ million
--------------------------------------------------------
1975-76 |318 |1,065
1976-77 |382 |1,127
1977-78 |365 |947
1978-79 |388 |908
1979-80 |422 |846
1980-81 |397 |673
1981-82 |397 |614
1982-83 |411 |593
1983-84 |427 |589
1984-85 |432 |567
1985-86 |435 |541
1986-87 |460 |554
1987-88 |443 |506
1988-89 |405 |432
1989-90 |382 |382
The Department has collected figures for the average price of school meals for 1990 and 1991 only. The available information is as follows :
|1990|1991
-------------------------
Primary |68p |72p
Secondary |72p |66p
Special |68p |74p
<1> Recurrent
expenditure, less income
from paid meals and EC
grants.
<2> Figures for earlier
years have been
converted to 1989-90
prices using the GDP (
market prices) deflator.
<3> Figures represent
the average charge in
England (shown in pence)
for a standard meal in
schools operating dining
centres.
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish the latest figures showing the numbers of children taking (a) paid school meals and (b) free school meals in (i) primary, (ii) secondary and (iii) special schools ; and what proportion they make up of (1) pupils present and (2) pupils on the school roll in each case.
Column 722
Mr. Forth : The numbers and percentages of pupils on roll taking school meals are shown in table A15 of "Statistics of Education : Schools 1991", copies of which are available in the Library. Information on the numbers of pupils present in schools on any given day is not collected centrally.
City Technology Colleges
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions he has had with the Audit Commission on transferring responsibility for the auditing of city technology colleges from the colleges themselves to the Audit Commission ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : My right hon. Friend has had no such discussions. It is a requirement on city technology colleges that they have annual audit reports by qualified external auditors appointed by the college. There are no plans to transfer the responsibility for auditing city technology colleges to the Audit Commission.
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list the land and sites presently held by the City Technology College Trust ; and what are the future proposals for each site.
Mr. Forth : The only land presently held by the City Technology College Trust is the site of the former Fitzherbert school, Brighton. The CTC Trust has been actively marketing the site, and is engaged in currrent negotiations to sell it.
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement on the circumstances surrounding the purchase by the the City Technology College Trust of the former Fitzherbert school in Brighton ; and what amount of public money was used to acquire the school.
Mr. Forth : The former Fitzherbert school in Brighton was purchased in June 1989 as the site of a proposed city technology college. The cost to public funds was £2.3 million net of legal expenses.
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will give the names of the CTC original headteachers who no longer hold the post and the reasons for their departures.
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list the names of principals of each of the city technology colleges ; and what information he has on their dates of appointment.
Mr. Forth : The names and dates of appointment of the current principal, or equivalent, of each CTC are as follows :
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Kingshurst |Principal |Valerie Bragg |January 1988 Macmillan |Principal |John Paddick |January 1989 Djanogly |Principal |Matt Andrews |September 1988 Dixon's |Principal |John Lewis |September 1989 Leigh |Principal |Virginia Waterhouse|January 1990 Emmanuel |Principal |George McHugh |September 1989 Harris |Principal |Lyndon Jones |January 1990 Bacon's |Principal |Peter Jenkins |September 1990 Britschool |Principal |Anne Rumney |January 1990 Brooke |Principal |Gareth Newman |September 1990 Haberdashers' |Director |Roy Baldock |November 1990 Thomas Telford |Headmaster |Kevin Satchwell |January 1991 ADT |Chief Executive |Richard Painter |October 1990 Landau Forte |Principal |Peter Shackleton |September 1990
None of these are new appointments made since the establishment of the colleges.
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his answer of 7 July, Official Report, column 120, how many times officials from his Department have had the books and accounts of city technology colleges opened to them ; and if he will list the colleges concerned and the dates of each such inspection.
Mr. Forth : Auditing of city technology colleges is the function of external auditors appointed by each college. The Department requires colleges to submit their accounts and auditors' reports soon after the end of each financial year. In addition, the Department's internal audit division has visited each of the colleges at least once since they have opened in order to provide advice on accounting matters to both the colleges and to the Department.
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what amounts of public money are estimated to be spent on the funding of city technology colleges for (a) 1992-93, (b) 1993-94 and (c) 1994-95, respectively.
Mr. Forth : Planned expenditure on city technology colleges by the Department for Education in the financial years specified is as follows :
1992-93--£54 million
1993-94--£55 million
1994-95--£56 million
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